Trooper vs highway patrol pilot

The differences between troopers and highway patrol pilots can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a highway patrol pilot has an average salary of $52,731, which is higher than the $39,510 average annual salary of a trooper.

The top three skills for a trooper include field training, patrol and traffic accidents. The most important skills for a highway patrol pilot are patrol, , and .

Trooper vs highway patrol pilot overview

	Trooper	Highway Patrol Pilot
Yearly salary	$39,510	$52,731
Hourly rate	$19.00	$25.35
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	1,565	24,434
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Trooper vs highway patrol pilot salary

Troopers and highway patrol pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Trooper	Highway Patrol Pilot
Average salary	$39,510	$52,731
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $52,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between trooper and highway patrol pilot education

There are a few differences between a trooper and a highway patrol pilot in terms of educational background:

	Trooper	Highway Patrol Pilot
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Aviation
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Trooper vs highway patrol pilot demographics

Here are the differences between troopers' and highway patrol pilots' demographics:

	Trooper	Highway Patrol Pilot
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%	Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between trooper and highway patrol pilot duties and responsibilities

Trooper example responsibilities.

Qualify with and, when necessary, used department firearms and other self-defense devices.
Issue court summonses, perform radar (speed) operations, rigorously enforce DUI laws.
Make DUI arrest, investigate traffic crashes and crimes commit on state own or lease property.
Perform general patrol, criminal/accident investigations and motor vehicle enforcement duties.
Respond to report incidents and detect criminal activities during routine patrol operations.
Advance firearm training and accident investigations.

Highway patrol pilot example responsibilities.

Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville
Secure federal funding through bidding process for cost-effective thermal imaging equipment used on helicopter for search and rescue and drug interdiction.
Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville

Trooper vs highway patrol pilot skills

Common trooper skills

Field Training, 27%
Patrol, 11%
Traffic Accidents, 10%
Domestic Violence, 8%
Criminal Investigations, 6%
Swat, 5%

Common highway patrol pilot skills

Patrol, 100%

Trooper vs. similar jobs

Trooper related careers

Trooper related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Protective Service Industry
Trooper
Trooper vs Highway Patrol Pilot

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse protective service jobs